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8th August 2007
Ben Nevis!!!! Climbing it may sound like a walk in the park because of it’s nicely laid out paths but the reality is something else!
Wednesday 8th - The morning was fantastic, hardly a cloud in the sky and the summit of Nevis quite visible in the distance as we headed off towards the main road to find a bus. Only 15 minutes into our expedition though and we hit our first hiccup. Conny pointed out that the sun was going to be intense (Sun what’s that I thought!) and Lil was going to need sun cream…doh. So off I went back to Tiger but on return none was to be found. A quick phone call and we decided that the others would catch the bus and that I’d find my own way and we’d all meet up in Fort William. To cut a long story short, we got the sun cream needed but whilst I’d found a bus, the others hadn’t and they’d walked three miles into town. Not such a great start when you’re about to go up Britain’s highest mountain.
We eventually reached the foot of the mountain at 11o’clock and started our slog up. In the distance we could make out people further on up the side of the mountain. All following the same path, they looked like multi-coloured ants on a massive anthill. As we joined the line, it felt more like being part of a pilgrimage rather than a mountain climb! That is until our legs started burning!
As we meandered (OK sweated) our way up the path it quickly became apparent that we’d under estimated our water needs. Or to put it more accurately Lil’s water needs :-) and after 3 hours, all of Lil’s had gone, three quarters of mine and Tom’s had gone (we were sharing) and the only one with much left was Conny and Scamp! Great….Scamp could drink from the streams added to which Conny shared some of hers with the rest of us J.
We counted off the meters on a hand held GPS and eventually reached what appeared to be the summit. This was confirmed by Tom who said there was only 30 meters or so to go! Yeh right…..as we reached what we had thought was the summit, a new stretch of path came into view that really knocked our spirits. The path carried on for hundreds of meters, snaking its way still higher. It was all too much for Scamp…she tried to curl up under a nearby rock. Well, there was nothing for it but to carry on, Scamp in rucksack we reached the summit at about three o’clock…four hours after setting off and with next to no drink left…doh.
The views were stunning…but it wasn’t long before all the layers we’d been shedding on the way up were quickly being put back on again. After eating our sandwiches (which had aided our motivation to reach the summit) and taking some photos we headed south again.
It took us about seven and a half hours to reach the summit and get down again. 1,344 meters…not bad we thought. That is until you find out that people run up and down it in less than an hour and a half!
Although a chance still remained of getting up to Loch Sunart the weather wasn’t looking too favourable (the good weather had lasted a day!) so the next afternoon we caught the tide down Loch Linnhe and anchored up beside a small group of islands next to Lismore for the night. We’d anchored on the north side of the islands given the southerly forecast and guess what? The wind backed round to the east during the night and gave us another jumpy night.
The next morning Conny went off in the dingy to give Scamp an early spin only to find the two of them surrounded by no fewer than fifteen seals all eager to investigate their new visitors. What a sight…..
A bit later and we all went off together in the dingy to explore the islands. Having tentatively decided to stay for the day, Tom and Lil set about gathering firewood as Conny and I brought Tiger to a new, closer anchorage. However, a look at the Navtex (this gives up to date weather reports) scuppered our plans. We needed to find a more sheltered anchorage so headed off into Loch Creran. This Loch turned out to be pretty nondescript but that didn’t matter too much. We had a great evening in Tiger playing cards and generally having a good laugh….
The remaining couple of days of Tom and Lil’s stay were spent nearby to Oban as we couldn’t afford to get caught by the weather resulting in them missing their train.
OK, I’m not going to moan too much about the weather ‘cause hey, this is Scotland!’ But really, so far this year, the weather has been pretty rubbish. The biggest problem for us has been the strong winds. In the relative shelter that the islands afford, Tiger has proved OK in up to force 5’s or maybe 6’s. But force 7’s have been common all summer! Where’s the high pressure???
After returning to Oban marina we had a couple of good days exploring the town again before all too quickly came the time for Tom and Lil to leave :-(
We’d also planned to leave Oban the same day but the wind was just too strong and so stayed until the following day when we took a short run for it down to Puilldobhrain. It was a day or so before spring tides (the highest and strongest) and I fancied trying to get through Seil Sound which leads under the ‘Bridge over the Atlantic’. So at low water that afternoon we went to investigate the path of the deepest channel through. It turned into a beautiful walk that took hours to explore. But after all our efforts a nasty swell in the entrance to the sound put pay to our attempts to go through. When I say attempts, I mean we nearly went for it and backed out in the last moment. There was nearly a meter of swell running which is a lot when you’ve maybe only got seven hundred millimetres of clearance and although the entrance looked calmer I decided not to risk it….Doh
Although it was now only mid August, the need to head south was already in our minds. On our way up it had taken us to seven weeks to reach this point and if the same were to happen again, it would be October before we returned. Although this time we had decided to return by the west coast, which would be shorter, this had some challenges of its own. Like the North Channel (this is the twenty odd mile wide stretch of water which separates Scotland from Ireland). This is where the nine meter high tides of the Irish Sea squeeze themselves through twice a day, their strong currents causing all sorts of chaos where they collide with land and each other at headlands. Added to which were some potentially long passages….fifty odd miles from Porpatrick to the Isle of Man and sixty five miles from the Isle of Man to Glasson Dock (Lancaster). Well you get the picture….a shorter route but one that needs settled weather for Tiger and with autumn not really known for settled weather, came the need to press on!
The next day the wind had calmed so we did a run for it. We needed to time our passage through Cuan Sound as, already mentioned, it was around spring tides which meant the flow would be exceeding 8 knots if we were to get it wrong.
One thing that’s never ceased to amaze me on this trip is the dramatic difference wind over tide can have on the sea state. We travelled south that day with a force 4 behind us but pushing a slightly foul tide. The swell was well under a meter and we chugged along quite happily. But when we reached Sound of Insh and the current increased to two or three knots the sea state changed dramatically. The swell increased as our speed over ground slowed due to the current and in no time at all we were crawling along over small hills that hadn’t existed minutes before. It was nothing too serious, just alarming how quickly things can change….
We passed through Cuan Sound without incident with two knots of flow to help us on our way and headed for Loch Melfort. Here we found a lovely area but were unable anchor due to the steep sided loch sides. So….off we went to Ardinmur which according to the pilot book is one of the most popular anchorages on the west coast. Unfortunately we failed to see why, stayed long enough to spin Scamp and headed off again. We eventually reached Loch Craigish, a stones throw from the Crinan Canal, and anchored up for the night.
When I say it rained…..I mean it really rained. ALL night and ALL of the next day. It just didn’t stop. It was the best we could do to get Scamp to leave the boat for a few minutes the following afternoon. It was a heavy day. The incessant rain added to which the thought that we were already heading south played on our mood….doh
Ben Nevis!!!! Climbing it may sound like a walk in the park because of it’s nicely laid out paths but the reality is something else!
Wednesday 8th - The morning was fantastic, hardly a cloud in the sky and the summit of Nevis quite visible in the distance as we headed off towards the main road to find a bus. Only 15 minutes into our expedition though and we hit our first hiccup. Conny pointed out that the sun was going to be intense (Sun what’s that I thought!) and Lil was going to need sun cream…doh. So off I went back to Tiger but on return none was to be found. A quick phone call and we decided that the others would catch the bus and that I’d find my own way and we’d all meet up in Fort William. To cut a long story short, we got the sun cream needed but whilst I’d found a bus, the others hadn’t and they’d walked three miles into town. Not such a great start when you’re about to go up Britain’s highest mountain.
We eventually reached the foot of the mountain at 11o’clock and started our slog up. In the distance we could make out people further on up the side of the mountain. All following the same path, they looked like multi-coloured ants on a massive anthill. As we joined the line, it felt more like being part of a pilgrimage rather than a mountain climb! That is until our legs started burning!
As we meandered (OK sweated) our way up the path it quickly became apparent that we’d under estimated our water needs. Or to put it more accurately Lil’s water needs :-) and after 3 hours, all of Lil’s had gone, three quarters of mine and Tom’s had gone (we were sharing) and the only one with much left was Conny and Scamp! Great….Scamp could drink from the streams added to which Conny shared some of hers with the rest of us J.
We counted off the meters on a hand held GPS and eventually reached what appeared to be the summit. This was confirmed by Tom who said there was only 30 meters or so to go! Yeh right…..as we reached what we had thought was the summit, a new stretch of path came into view that really knocked our spirits. The path carried on for hundreds of meters, snaking its way still higher. It was all too much for Scamp…she tried to curl up under a nearby rock. Well, there was nothing for it but to carry on, Scamp in rucksack we reached the summit at about three o’clock…four hours after setting off and with next to no drink left…doh.
The views were stunning…but it wasn’t long before all the layers we’d been shedding on the way up were quickly being put back on again. After eating our sandwiches (which had aided our motivation to reach the summit) and taking some photos we headed south again.
It took us about seven and a half hours to reach the summit and get down again. 1,344 meters…not bad we thought. That is until you find out that people run up and down it in less than an hour and a half!
Although a chance still remained of getting up to Loch Sunart the weather wasn’t looking too favourable (the good weather had lasted a day!) so the next afternoon we caught the tide down Loch Linnhe and anchored up beside a small group of islands next to Lismore for the night. We’d anchored on the north side of the islands given the southerly forecast and guess what? The wind backed round to the east during the night and gave us another jumpy night.
The next morning Conny went off in the dingy to give Scamp an early spin only to find the two of them surrounded by no fewer than fifteen seals all eager to investigate their new visitors. What a sight…..
A bit later and we all went off together in the dingy to explore the islands. Having tentatively decided to stay for the day, Tom and Lil set about gathering firewood as Conny and I brought Tiger to a new, closer anchorage. However, a look at the Navtex (this gives up to date weather reports) scuppered our plans. We needed to find a more sheltered anchorage so headed off into Loch Creran. This Loch turned out to be pretty nondescript but that didn’t matter too much. We had a great evening in Tiger playing cards and generally having a good laugh….
The remaining couple of days of Tom and Lil’s stay were spent nearby to Oban as we couldn’t afford to get caught by the weather resulting in them missing their train.
OK, I’m not going to moan too much about the weather ‘cause hey, this is Scotland!’ But really, so far this year, the weather has been pretty rubbish. The biggest problem for us has been the strong winds. In the relative shelter that the islands afford, Tiger has proved OK in up to force 5’s or maybe 6’s. But force 7’s have been common all summer! Where’s the high pressure???
After returning to Oban marina we had a couple of good days exploring the town again before all too quickly came the time for Tom and Lil to leave :-(
We’d also planned to leave Oban the same day but the wind was just too strong and so stayed until the following day when we took a short run for it down to Puilldobhrain. It was a day or so before spring tides (the highest and strongest) and I fancied trying to get through Seil Sound which leads under the ‘Bridge over the Atlantic’. So at low water that afternoon we went to investigate the path of the deepest channel through. It turned into a beautiful walk that took hours to explore. But after all our efforts a nasty swell in the entrance to the sound put pay to our attempts to go through. When I say attempts, I mean we nearly went for it and backed out in the last moment. There was nearly a meter of swell running which is a lot when you’ve maybe only got seven hundred millimetres of clearance and although the entrance looked calmer I decided not to risk it….Doh
Although it was now only mid August, the need to head south was already in our minds. On our way up it had taken us to seven weeks to reach this point and if the same were to happen again, it would be October before we returned. Although this time we had decided to return by the west coast, which would be shorter, this had some challenges of its own. Like the North Channel (this is the twenty odd mile wide stretch of water which separates Scotland from Ireland). This is where the nine meter high tides of the Irish Sea squeeze themselves through twice a day, their strong currents causing all sorts of chaos where they collide with land and each other at headlands. Added to which were some potentially long passages….fifty odd miles from Porpatrick to the Isle of Man and sixty five miles from the Isle of Man to Glasson Dock (Lancaster). Well you get the picture….a shorter route but one that needs settled weather for Tiger and with autumn not really known for settled weather, came the need to press on!
The next day the wind had calmed so we did a run for it. We needed to time our passage through Cuan Sound as, already mentioned, it was around spring tides which meant the flow would be exceeding 8 knots if we were to get it wrong.
One thing that’s never ceased to amaze me on this trip is the dramatic difference wind over tide can have on the sea state. We travelled south that day with a force 4 behind us but pushing a slightly foul tide. The swell was well under a meter and we chugged along quite happily. But when we reached Sound of Insh and the current increased to two or three knots the sea state changed dramatically. The swell increased as our speed over ground slowed due to the current and in no time at all we were crawling along over small hills that hadn’t existed minutes before. It was nothing too serious, just alarming how quickly things can change….
We passed through Cuan Sound without incident with two knots of flow to help us on our way and headed for Loch Melfort. Here we found a lovely area but were unable anchor due to the steep sided loch sides. So….off we went to Ardinmur which according to the pilot book is one of the most popular anchorages on the west coast. Unfortunately we failed to see why, stayed long enough to spin Scamp and headed off again. We eventually reached Loch Craigish, a stones throw from the Crinan Canal, and anchored up for the night.
When I say it rained…..I mean it really rained. ALL night and ALL of the next day. It just didn’t stop. It was the best we could do to get Scamp to leave the boat for a few minutes the following afternoon. It was a heavy day. The incessant rain added to which the thought that we were already heading south played on our mood….doh
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